St. Ann's Novena Food Stand

04/29/2021

🚨🚨UPDATE 🚨🚨

We will be meeting at the Food Stand on Tuesday May 4th at 12:00 noon for some housekeeping duties for the Boy Scouts Spaghetti Dinner beingheld on Saturday May 8th.
If you have a spare hour and want to lend a hand, please come by.

Thank You!

04/28/2021

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!
Welcome back to the Food Stand!!!!!
We are pleased to announce that the Food Stand Will be Open for the 2021 Sacred Novena to St. Ann.
The Novena starts on Saturday July 17th.
We are looking forward to seeing all our friends and neighbors.

Today we have the guys from Steamtown Cleaners cleaning the Food Stand and getting it ready.

Next week we will be doing some minor housekeeping to have the Stand ready for the Boy Scouts Spaghetti Dinner on May 8th. If you are available next Wednesday and can give us an hour of your time send me a message on this page.

Stay tuned for more announcements.

It’s good to be back.

Thank you,

Nancy

07/25/2020

I went to the Scranton Farmers Market today. As I was walking down the midway, I noticed a nice size crowd at a stand. I walked over, and to my surprise, it was a food stand, much like the food stand at St. Ann's. The Food Stand that i should be at for too many hours sweating my face off with all the other great team members.
This food stand was going full bore, all the foods we should be offering this week. I have to admit that I got pi**ed off. How can the Farmers Market have their food stand up and running and we can't? They had the picnic tables out, people enjoying lunch. Nobody getting crazy, no pushing or shoving. everything under control. I was told that we wouldn't be able to control people. I knew it was nonsense then, and I know it is nonsense now.
I realize that it is water under the Ravenel Bridge, but it is still sad and frustrating. Frustrating because next year when I ask for a few new brooms, I will be told that there is no money.

We could have done it, the Food Stand Team would have made it happen.

By the way.. I got an order of fries. They were good.

Nancy Favilla Tora

06/05/2020

Good evening friends. It is with sadness that I report to you that for the 2020 Solemn Novena the Food Stand will not be open. The Bishop, following CDC guidelines, feels it would be impossible to enforce social distancing and ensure the safety of the workers and visitors.

The committee has decided to take this time to reassess our operation and possibly make changes going forward. As always your thoughts and suggestions are always welcome.

I, for one, will miss the food stand and the countless number of volunteers who have given so generously of their time over the past 12 years that I have been involved. I will miss your faces, the conversations, the laughs, the madness and even the July heat wave that accompanies every Novena.
I wish you all well, have a great summer and see you next year ❤️

Nancy Favilla Tora

05/07/2020

Good Morning Friends. I have put off writing this post, but it is now May 7th 2020 and I feel it is time.

Normally at this time of year, the Food Stand committee is busy making preparations for the Solemn Novena in July. As you know, things are different this year. I have no answers to the obvious questions. I wish I did. The way things stand at the moment, I don't think we will be operational this year, and if we are, it will be very limited.

I, for one, will truly miss the chaos and madness that July brings. The Food Stand has been a part of my life for the past 12 years (It think it's 12, it could be more). For many of you, it has been much, much longer than that. If we are not together this summer, it will be a good time to re-access our operations and perhaps go back to a simpler days.

I will keep you all posted on any information. In case you did not know, St. Ann's has a live stream every morning on their page. You can find it at St. Ann Monastery Basilica Parish on Facebook.

Wishing you all good health and hope to see you soon.

Thank You,

Nancy Favilla Tora

03/01/2020

Happy March 1st! Only 4 months to the Solemn Novena to St. Ann.
It is time to get our team together for the 2020 Novena Food Stand season. We welcome everyone to come on over to the Food Stand and lend a hand.
We always need volunteers to help the effort.

Over the next few months I will be posting updates, scheduled events and important news here on the page. Information will also be in the Church Bulletin.

Your comments and suggestions are also welcome on this page. Contrary to popular belief, I am open to ideas and suggestions.

One last thing.... if you are an electrician or you know one, the Food Stand desperately needs to be rewired. Thomas Edison did the original work😉. Please reach out to me.

Have a great week ahead!

Thanks,
Nancy Favilla Tora

07/31/2019

Some of our incredible team. Food Stand 2019

07/31/2019

Another Novena has come and gone. It was a challenging time at the Food Stand, but the amazing volunteers rose to the occasion. We started of with the July rains and that quickly turned to the unbearable heat which comes every year. We had some bumps, but always a Plan B. There were complaints, but too few to mention.
I cannot say enough about the incredible team that surrounds me and makes my job so much easier. They put up with the weather, the crowds, my sometimes temper and always show up the next day. Saying thank you just doesn't seem enough.
For 10 long days you are my family and you keep me afloat when I started to sink. Year after year the Food Stand is a success because of all of you. A special shout out to the teens who are all rock stars. This year I had an amazing group of young people who jumped in at every turn, went above and beyond the call of duty, learned that the magic number is 140, mozzarella sticks should ooze, pizza takes 8 minutes and when in doubt, call me. These kids supported each other, had their backs when things got a little messy and never let me down. I consider them now and always my kids. From the bottom of my heart, Thank You.
I have added photos of some of the beautiful people who made this July one of the best.
See ya next year.

Find daily specials and menu items featured at The Novena's food stand. Different specials everyday. July 17-26 2020
St. Ann's Basilica, West Scranton,Pa

07/31/2019

07/24/2019

Refrigerator Crisis Over!!! Thanks everyone!